Festivals are occasions To empower Ourselves in the Course of humanity.”
Festivals are special days to celebrate tradition, culture and heritage with happiness, peace, and harmony. Festivals are the oldest rituals and traditions we follow to pay tribute to our God and goddesses.
As part of our endeavour to ingrain in students the admiration of and respect of India’s rich patrimony and disparity, and also to reinforce in them national pride and respect for all, here at KIDZ SHAISHAV school we celebrate a number of festivals.
Benefits of Festival celebration –
- Foster community pride
- Teach new things
- Strengthen relationship
- Improve communication skills
- Make the students more aware of their culture
- Teach social awareness
- Foster cultural appropriation
We celebrate three types of festivals –
National festival – they heighten the patriotic spirits in students, enabling them to grow into better citizens.
Independence Day (15 August)- The Independence Day is celebrated on August 15 every year to commemorate India’s freedom from the British rule in 1947. After independence, India became the world's largest democracy after the UK Parliament passed the Indian Independence Act, 1947, transferring legislative sovereignty to the Indian Constituent Assembly.
Republic Day (26 January)-
the day when India marks and celebrates the date on which the Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950. This replaced the Government of India Act 1935 as the governing document of India, thus turning the nation into a republic separate from British Raj. The constitution was adopted by the Indian Constituent Assembly on 26 November 1949 and came into effect on 26 January 1950. 26 January was chosen as the date for Republic Day as it was on that day in 1930 when the Declaration of Indian Independence was proclaimed by the Indian National Congress.
Gandhi jayanti
Gandhi Jayanti is an event celebrated in India to mark the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. It is celebrated annually on 2 October, and is one of the three national holidays of India. The UN General Assembly announced on 15 June 2007 that it adopted a resolution which declared that 2 October will be celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence as he was a non-violent freedom fighter.
Seasonal festival
these festivals are associated with food supply, celebrating these festivals changes students attitude towards mother earth and nature.
Makar Sankranti
- also referred to as Uttarayana, Makar, or simply Sankranti, is a Hindu observance and a festival. Usually falling on the date of January 15 annually, this occasion marks the transition of the Sun from the zodiac of Sagittarius (dhanu) to Capricorn (makara). Since the Sun has made this transition which vaguely coincides with moving from south to north, the festival is dedicated to the solar deity, Surya, and is observed to mark a new beginning.
Vansant Panchami
is celebrated on the first day of spring and falls on the fifth day of the month of Magha and also marks the beginnings of preparation for Holi, which falls forty days after the festival. The festival is dedicated to Maa Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music and art.
Religious festivals
it gives an insight into the culture and it’s principles.
Holi
also known as the Festival of Colours, the Festival of Spring, and the Festival of Love. Holi celebrations start on the night before Holi with a Holika Dahan where people gather, perform religious rituals in front of a bonfire, and pray that their internal evil be destroyed the way Holika, the sister of the demon king Hiranyakashipu, was killed in the fire. The next morning is celebrated as Rangwali Holi (Dhulendi) where people smear and drench each other with colours
Diwali
Diwali symbolises the spiritual ``victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance``. The festival is widely associated with Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity and Ganesha, god of wisdom and the remover of obstacles. Furthermore, it is a celebration of the day Rama returned to his kingdom in Ayodhya with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshman after defeating the demon.
Janmashtami
''Occasion of the birth of Krishna'', also known simply as Krishnashtami, Janmashtami, or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu.
Dushera-
also called Dasara or Vijayadashami, in Hinduism, holiday marking the triumph of Rama, an avatar of Vishnu, over the 10-headed demon king Ravana, who abducted Rama’s wife, Sita. The festival’s name is derived from the Sanskrit words dasha (“ten”) and hara (“defeat”). Symbolizing the victory of good over evil.